Naley
by sarkbait
Summary: They are torn apart by their future jobs, but promise to love eachother forever. But what happens when years later, she comes back but he's moved on?
1. The Meet

Disclaimer: everyone knows this belongs to the WB. That's why it's a fan fiction. Rating: PG This is a future fic, so don't yell at me for them being a little out of character. Time can do that to you! Loopholes!  
  
Prologue  
  
"So this is it?"  
  
She looked away, anywhere but his eyes. This was too hard everything about them was hard. Their relationship didn't start off like a fairy tale. Far from it. It was rocky and something always seemed to be in the way. May it be parents, friends, and even the status each held at school. But none of that all didn't matter anymore. Because they would both embark in a journey in life, which would not have anything to do with each other.  
  
She was offered a job in Europe, one in which could start her career up high. And although she was offered a job at the Los Angeles Times, she knew she would only be a gofer there. But in Europe, she had the chance to start off high and end up beyond anyone else's expectations.  
  
He was to be drafted for the Lakers, which meant the world to him.  
  
But this also meant that either one of them gave up their dream or they take separate paths in life. And it was as simple was just breaking up and taking separate ways.  
  
Nothing about them was simple. Ever.  
  
"Please don't."  
  
A river of tears were already springing out of her eyes, flowing down and hitting the front of his shirt. And the most unexpected thing was, he was the one that was clinging onto her, not willing to let her go.  
  
"Can't we work this out?"  
  
But both knew the answer to this. The distance was too much. They had both attended UCLA, both moving away from their dear little town in the East coast. What comforted them both was the fact that they were together. And now, that would no longer be such a comfort.  
  
He didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to be rational. He wanted to be with her forever. But she was rational. And even though it hurt like hell, she knew what they had to do. They both did.  
  
And with one final kiss, a passionate kiss, she let go, so they could both feel the cold breeze upon them. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. Inside was a beautiful white gold bracelet, with 'Naley' inscribed. She couldn't help but smile. He put it on her right wrist, which also had on it the first bracelet he had ever given her.  
  
"Never forget me."  
  
She looked at him with watering eyes and smiled.  
  
"I won't be able to."  
  
And they hugged one another, right before she had gone into the terminal. Neither knew it would be a full five years later before they would see one another face to face again.  
  
Part one:  
  
"We'll miss you Haley!"  
  
She smiled and waved back to the people she had worked with for the past five years. She was finally going home, permanently.  
  
She had visited as much as she could, but she was always busy doing one thing or another. But they were going to transfer her to the Los Angeles Times, not as a gofer, but a top journalist. She was extravagant at her field, which would explain how she climbed the ladder so well. She worked hard, worked well. And that finally paid off. She no longer had to travel to far away from home. She would finally be able to be home with loved ones.  
  
As she sat in her first class seat, she looked down at her right wrist and smiled. Maybe, after all these years, they stood a chance. She fell asleep, drifting into a dream of utter bliss.  
  
When she woke up several hours later, she was happy to see that the sun was shining and she was only three hours away from landing. After ten minutes, she became restless. She wasn't exactly known for being patient. So she reached for the nearest magazine and started to flip through.  
  
The name 'Scott' caught her eye.  
  
'Scott has finally tied the knot.'  
  
It couldn't be, could it? Couldn't it be Lucas? But that would have been ridiculous since he and Peyton tied the knot five years before, a few days before she had left. So she read the brief paragraph about it. And from the looks of it, Nathan Scott was to marry his long-time girlfriend, model Adrian Kummel. Her heart sank. But what did she expect? Him to wait for her? It wasn't like she didn't date after that day. But she couldn't find herself committing to anything but her work. She sighed and put her head down, letting her tears trail down her face. She wiped them away and sniffled.  
  
No, she wouldn't cry over this. She was going to be happy that at least one of them was able to get over the other. She would land, congratulate him, and that was it.  
  
*~*~*  
  
"She's coming today."  
  
Nathan looked up at Lucas his older brother. Sometime in high school, he got over the entire 'hate Lucas' thing. He had learned to instead, try to create a normal, brotherly relationship with him. Plus, he was dating Haley then. He couldn't date her and be hated by her best friend. Get the girl he wanted and a brother. It was a win win situation.  
  
"Who's coming today?"  
  
"You know perfectly well who is coming today."  
  
It had hit him just then. Haley. And he sighed. It was one thing to see her, but seeing her and knowing that she was now off limits hurt him even more. He couldn't have her anymore.  
  
And the entire time, he was attacking himself. If he had held the proposal for a week, a whole week, he would have been able to stop it all. Because it was only after a week of proposing to Adrian that he found out Haley would be moving to Los Angeles for good. And since then, he hadn't been able to face it. But today, he would have to.  
  
"You gonna have to tell her you know."  
  
Nathan sighed.  
  
"I think she might already know."  
  
"Don't get all conceited not Nathan."  
  
"Our engagement wasn't exactly the most private thing in the world."  
  
"Oh yeah, good point."  
  
Nathan sighed in frustration. Lucas tried to comfort him the best he could, but couldn't. So Peyton came in and gave Nathan a hug.  
  
"It's ok."  
  
Nathan looked up, and both Lucas and Peyton were surprised beyond belief. There was a trail of tears coming down from Nathan's eyes. Nathan was king of holding back his feelings, never letting his emotions get the best of him. But whenever it came to Haley, he was always crazy. Even three years ago, when Nathan found out that Haley had broken her leg, it took everyone they knew to stop him from flying all the way to Europe, and dropping everything.  
  
"It's not going to be ok. You know why? Because I screwed up. If I had waited one week, I would have been able to know she was coming back. I would have had a few months to break up with Adrian, so I can go back to Haley. You know why? Because girls like Haley are zero to none. If everyone in the world as born with another half, she was it for me. There is no one else. I tried to replace her with Adrian, but it isn't possible. Haley is irreplaceable, and I hate that. I hate that even after all these years, I am holding onto a relationship that ended five years ago. God, it's like high school all over again. But you know what? I would be willing to go through that hellhole if it had promised me being with Haley. So we could be Naley again."  
  
He closed his eyes and wiped the small trace of tears in his eyes. He got up to leave the small diner, just as the bell rang. And there she stood. He looked at her right wrist and hope was gone. She no longer had the bracelet on.  
  
She was hoping to not run into him until later. But the world loved playing cruel jokes on her. She had taken both bracelets off right before she got off the plane. And although she seemed so naked without it, she couldn't wear it. She wasn't going to show up with it on, showing how she had never moved on when he was able to. She wanted to be able to just congratulate him and them move on. She would move on, since he had already.  
  
Lucas went over and embraced her into a hug.  
  
"This place just isn't the same without you."  
  
Peyton chipped in from the back.  
  
"He's been moaning about losing his best friend for years and won't stop playing miniature golf. I am feeling neglected."  
  
Haley let out a laugh, right before looking at Nathan. Her heart jumped and all she wanted to do was hug him and kiss him until neither could breathe. Nothing had changed. Except that he was to be married within the month. She tried to be as friendly as possible, and gave him a hug.  
  
All that was running through his head was, God, she is still beautiful. She is still Haley, my Haley. She had matured, but the essence that made her who she was didn't leave her. So when she hugged him, he thought it was possible she didn't know, and that for a moment, he could act like nothing had changed.  
  
But before he could initiate this act, she spoke up.  
  
"Congratulation on your engagement."  
  
Their worlds, hopes, and dreams fell.  
  
"Oh yeah thanks."  
  
She put on the best smile she could strangle out of herself.  
  
"Well I would love to stay, but I have to go. Bye you guys!"  
  
And she left before anyone could even say bye to her. She walked calmly to the corner before she heard her name being called. She sucked up all her courage and put on a smile.  
  
"Hey Nathan."  
  
When she had walked out of the diner, he couldn't help but chase after her. She was right there, in front of his face, and he couldn't even do anything. She was in reaching distance, it was like as if though life was mocking him, saying 'you can see her and dream of her all you want, but you can never have her.' And nothing in Nathan's life was not beyond his reach. Nothing but her. And here she stood, with her eyes glittering. He knew this look well. It was right before she would cry. And that was one thing he wanted her to do. It was selfish of him, but he wanted her to cry, to show that he wasn't the only one that missed the other. They walked along, and before they knew it, they were in a secluded part of town. It was exactly what he wanted. He walked closer to her, closing the gap between them as he intertwined his fingers with hers. Both of their hearts stopped.  
  
"I've missed you Haley."  
  
She tried to break away, but it was too hard. He was so much stronger, and she didn't want to. He was right in front of her, and there was nothing that could happen.  
  
"But I hear you found someone else."  
  
"Haley."  
  
She broke down the walls she was holding up, letting the tears run down her cheek.  
  
"Did you know I left Europe thinking that I would come back, into your arms, and just continuing where we left off? Stupid huh? I mean, how could I expect you, probably the number one bachelor in America, to hold up for me?"  
  
He tried to wipe her tears away, but she turned her head.  
  
"Don't make it harder on me that it already is."  
  
He let out a frustrated groan as he turned her head so she could see him.  
  
"It's as hard on me as it is on you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be here with you, knowing that I am never having you again? Do you know how much I wanted to kill myself when I found out only a week later after proposing to her that would come back? If I had waited that week, I know for a fact that this all would have been different. You would be with me, and I would have you for myself. I know it's selfish, but when I found out that you weren't with someone, I was jumping for joy. And yet, I had someone. But she can never be you."  
  
"Nathan, it's ok. I'll get over it ok? Congratulations, I hope you are happy."  
  
She let her tears fall down onto his shirt. It was like the past was repeating itself. But this time, there was no chance of them ever getting back together.  
  
"Don't you understand Haley? I don't want anyone else, I don't need anyone else except you."  
  
He was now letting his tears fall, and she couldn't take it. She used to be able to just kiss away his tears, but she couldn't do that anymore. He was off-limits. So she pushed him away gently and whispered softly to him.  
  
"Then you should have never proposed."  
  
And she ran off before he could grab her. 


	2. The Dinner

He dwelled on his thoughts, about the last past three years of his life. He went back to when he had just found out that Haley had broken her leg. Her mother was talking about how worried she was about her, and Nathan happened to be in town that day for a game. As soon as he heard it, he dropped everything. He was to play in six hours, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was fly to Haley in her time of need. But Lucas stopped her, and he would never forget what he said.  
  
"She needs to live on her own."  
  
They weren't hurtful words, but they scarred him more than anything else. Because it was then when it dawned on him. She was gone, and she would be living a life without him. Either he gave up his dream and go to her or do the one thing he loved in life. Plus, Haley would have killed him if he had dropped basketball. She said she never wanted to be a part of his unhappiness, by ruining his future. But the thing was, being in void of her was his unhappiness, and it was the most painful thing in the world.  
  
He had met Adrian in a celebration party. It had only been a week since he found out about Haley. Funny how one week was a motif in his life. But anyhow, he needed someone to keep his mind off of Haley, and Adrian was the first woman to walk up to him. He started to talk to her and found her surprisingly smart, interesting, and sweet in many ways. They hit it off right away and started to date. But even when he was dating Adrian, living with her, sleeping with her, kissing her, he knew one thing. She would never be Haley. And for a while that was ok, because she was exactly what he needed. Or so he thought.  
  
When he bought the engagement ring, he wasn't sure what he was thinking. He never really saw marrying any but Haley in his future. But somehow, he did it. When he bought the ring, he thought of Haley. And when Adrian was jumping up and down, he smiled because he envisioned Haley, not Adrian. It was a mean thing to do to Adrian. She didn't deserve to be second choice. She deserved to marry someone that actually loved her and only her. But being Nathan, he got selfish. If he couldn't have Haley right then, he would find someone to fill that empty space in his heart, even if it meant taking her away from her true half. But really, her piece in his heart was like a loose puzzle in the wrong puzzle set. It didn't fit in the place it should have, but somewhere else. And no matter how much he punched the piece in, it never fit right. He cut her up and tried to mold her to be that perfect fit, but that never worked. He knew that Haley was that missing piece, and no one would be able to fill that hole in his heart except for her.  
  
He was stupid to propose to Adrian. He only did it because she was second best at that time. It was his worst mistake. What made it worse was the fact that he led her on even after finding out about Haley. He could have just broken up with her right after finding out. But he knew the publicity would be bad, and he would never bring Haley into this. They would probably call her the 'other woman'. She was everything but. She was the love of his life, the one piece in his life that made him complete. Without her, he would never be complete.  
  
Everything in his life was always reachable, everything except Haley. Everything about her was hard, but that's what made their relationship so special. He could never love Adrian the same way he loved Haley. He would never love anyone more than he loved Haley. He loved her, only her, and would do anything to have her. But now, everything seemed hopeless. It was too late. Even if he wanted to call off the engagement, they paparazzi would be all over him, and he didn't want that. What he wanted was to have Haley for himself. He didn't want to inflict any confusion or pain on her. He knew that him being with Adrian was killing her. It was killing him, seeing her so sad. But he didn't want her to be known to the world that 'broke up the dream couple', or so the magazines all said. He didn't want the world to see her as the 'home-wrecker'.  
  
He sat in the living room for a while before the door swung open. He jumped up to see Adrian, and guilt overcame him. He was sitting in their living room, thinking about another woman two weeks before their marriage. She smiled and walked towards hive, giving him a sweet kiss on his lips. She sat down next to him and immediately became concerned. She could tell something was wrong with him.  
  
"What's wrong Nat?"  
  
He hated that that nickname. Or at least, that nickname said by anyone except Haley. She used to call him Nat.  
  
"I told you too stop calling me Nat."  
  
"Wow, what crawled out and bit your butt today?"  
  
She was still smiling, but he wasn't.  
  
"I don't feel like talking."  
  
She softened and caressed his cheek with her finger. He pulled away. He only liked it when Haley did it. He only liked it when Haley did a lot of things.  
  
"Are you sure you aren't sick? Lucas and Peyton invited us to dinner."  
  
"I don't feel like going."  
  
"Nathan, it's a welcoming party for one of your old friends. It's like a triple get together or something  
  
He froze. He never told her about Haley. He couldn't. But she was going to find out sooner or later. He really didn't want to go because he couldn't think of seeing her with anyone else. It pissed him off really. But what did he expect? After all, he was the one getting married, and the one who seemed to move on. She kept out for him, all this time. And he had to see whom she would bring as her date.  
  
"I'll go. It's tonight right?"  
  
"Yeah. Are you sure I'm ok? We don't have to go if you don't want to. I mean, you seem a little pale."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
He became a terrific liar over the years too.  
  
*~*~*  
  
She didn't know why she even agreed to this in the first place. She knew he would be there, and she couldn't bear to see him all happy with his girlfriend. No wait, his fiancé, soon to be wife. It hurt like hell now it comes to it. She wanted to hurt him too, take a date and everything. But she didn't want to inflict the same pain he had on her. It would kill him, and it would kill her knowing she hurt him. So instead, she called up Kevin, a friend was high school both her and Nathan knew. There was never anything going on between them.  
  
He picked her up, and she thanked him profoundly for doing this one favor. He said it was not a problem, and he hoped that she felt better. They talked about what they have been doing for the last three years. She found out he was actually in a serious relationship right now. His girlfriend, Wendy, was also a high school friend and Wendy completely understood it. But it didn't stop her from yelling at her right before they left.  
  
"Only for tonight!"  
  
That was fine for Haley. She just needed a friends support, and Lucas was going with Peyton so she couldn't ask him. They reached the restaurant to find that the other two had already arrived. She walked in with Kevin, and saw anger and jealousy flair up in Nathan's eyes. But then, he softened when he saw her.  
  
She was wearing a modest black dress that showed more skin than Haley normally would show, but it wasn't trashy in any way. It was simple and perfect, just like she was. "Hey you guys. This is Kevin, in case you forgot."  
  
Nathan looked directly at her, but his trance was broken when he remembered whom he came with. Adrian smiled, not knowing a thing about their history.  
  
"Hi! I'm Adrian. It's great to meet you, Haley right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"The strangest thing, Nat never mentioned you to me. But Peyton tells me you were pretty close friends. Nat, why did you never tell her about me?"  
  
"Oh, you call him Nat?"  
  
Haley felt like crying. That was her nickname for him, the one that she was only allowed to call him. But then this model steps in, and not only takes away her love, but also some of the secrets she shared.  
  
"Yeah, he hates it when I call him that, but I thought it was cute. It makes me feel like we are more of a couple. Right Nat?"  
  
He wanted to crawl under a rock. Adrian wasn't doing it on purpose or anything, she just tended to blab on about stuff. This was one of those things he didn't want her to blab about though. He knew as soon as she called him Nat things were going to be worse. Haley was the only person ever allowed to call him Nat. And as he looked at her, he knew tears were to spring out in a matter of minutes.  
  
"Well look at that, my eyes are getting dry. I am going to go and put on some eye drops. Be right back."  
  
She was still a horrible liar. Everyone in the table except Adrian knew it was a straight lie. So Adrian just smiled.  
  
"Come back soon."  
  
Nathan couldn't watch her leave and cry her tears out, at least not alone. So he thought of an even better lie to follow her.  
  
"I'll be right back. I have to call coach and tell him I can't make it tonight. I totally forgot to tell him."  
  
And as before, everyone but Adrian knew that was a lie.  
  
"Come back soon Nat."  
  
He cringed at that name. He walked to the bathroom and waited for her to come out. Within the walls, she was silently letting the tears flow out. Adrian was calling him Nat. It was like that name didn't mean anything to him. It was suppose to be their special name. And the sad thing was, under different circumstances, she would have been a friend with Adrian. She seemed so nice, and sweet. Of course she was beautiful, her being a model and all. Haley sighed. Adrian was everything Nathan would want, everything he deserved. She would never be able to compete with that, Adrian's beauty, grace, class, status. Adrian was the type of person who got everything, you could tell. So Adrian got Nathan, Haley didn't. It was depressing her though. They probably had a really cute combined name, like Adrithan or something.  
  
She splashed a bit of water on her face and sighed. She never did wear a lot of make-up so she applied a little bit more off and tried to look normal. Her eyes were puffed up and her face was all blotchy. Maybe she could just say she wasn't feeling good and leave.  
  
She pushed open the bathroom door and ran right into Nathan. He looked at her and dragged her to a more secluded corner where they could talk. He looked right into her eyes and kissed her forehead.  
  
"What can I do to make you stop?"  
  
"Stop what?"  
  
"Stop crying."  
  
Another trail of tears were appearing. Her heart was racing, and butterflies were zooming around in her stomach. She wanted to hold him, knowing that they were Naley again. She wanted to know he was hers, not Adrian's. And she wanted to know that Nathan was marrying her, not Adrian. Adrian seemed to have everything she didn't have and wanted. She had Nathan.  
  
"Are you happy?"  
  
He wiped away her tears with his thumb and leaned his forehead onto hers.  
  
"You know I'm never happy without you."  
  
"But you have Adrian. She's perfect for you. I mean, she's smart, sweet, nice, beautiful, everything you ever wanted in a girl right?"  
  
"Except that she's not you. I don't care if she was the world's most perfect woman. Because I want you Haley. Your it for me, and I don't think I need anyone else."  
  
"But I can't bear to think you're unhappy. All I want is for you to be happy."  
  
"Then be my wife. Be with me."  
  
"Nathan, you know."  
  
He crushed his lips onto hers and all rationality flew out the window. 


	3. The Night

She was the first to pull away, as always. She was always the rational one. She sadly removed herself from his touch and looked back up to his worried eyes.  
  
"We can't Nat."  
  
"Why not?!"  
  
"Do you have amnesia or something? Do you not remember that in two weeks, you are having the most publicized wedding of the year? Do you remember that your wife is just within those walls and is probably wondering where the hell you are?"  
  
"She's not my wife yet."  
  
"But she will be, and you know it. What we had, what we have, it needs to end now. I refuse to be the reason your marriage fails with her."  
  
"If I get married to her and not you, the marriage will fail. It's bound to."  
  
She let out a sigh of frustration. They could no longer prolong this argument. She started to walk away, turning around just briefly.  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
He stood there for a while, just thinking. One moment, she was in his arms, radiating her love for him through the most passionate kiss he had since. well her. And the next, she was walking away, saying that nothing could happen because he was getting married. That's just with his life. When he thinks he has everything figured out, something is thrown right in his face that he has to deal. And most of those times had Haley involved. But he didn't care about any of that because all he wanted; needed was her. And it seemed that he wouldn't be getting her.  
  
As he walked in, Haley hurried out of the door, quickly followed by Kevin. Nathan came to the table confused. Adrian brightly smiled at him.  
  
"That took a while."  
  
"Oh yeah, coach was yelling for a while."  
  
Nathan shot a look at Peyton, but she chose to ignore it. Lucas just stared deeply into the menu. So he turned to Adrian.  
  
"Hey, why did Haley and Kevin leave?"  
  
"Oh yeah. Haley said that she was being clumsy and spilled too much eyes drops in her eyes. She never really was good at it, so it was hurting like crazy. You should have seen her. A trail of tears was coming out and her face was all blotchy. Then she said that the eye drops she grabbed were the wrong brand, giving her an allergic reaction, so she had to go home soon. Poor Haley."  
  
And yet again everyone but Adrian knew what was going on. They ordered their food and attempted to have a decent conversation, but the air was too thick. The finished and there was only small talk amongst them. Finally, Adrian remembered that she had to make an important phone call to her agent because she had to know when her photo shoot was and her agent would never pick up the phone after nine. She quickly excused herself, as Peyton and Lucas directed their attention to Nathan. Peyton was the first to talk.  
  
"What the hell happened Nathan? She runs in here, gives us some BS excuse about eye drops, which was a straight out lie, and tells Kevin she needs to leave. What did you do to her to piss her off now?" (P)  
  
"Hey look, I didn't do anything." (N)  
  
"Cut the crap Nathan, what happened?" (L)  
  
"If you really want to know, ask her. I've been through too much of this crap to even talk about it."(N)  
  
Adrian came back in and smiled.  
  
"I'm sorry you guys, but I found out that I have a shoot at two in the afternoon and have a morning flight of four so I might have to cut this short. Let's go Nat."  
  
This was Nathan's chance to jump in and say yes, his excuse to get out of this interrogation Lucas and Peyton had put him on. But Peyton sweetly smiled, and injected her own words before he could.  
  
"Actually, me and Lucas wanted to catch up before he left to go back to LA. I mean, we barely see him anymore and we haven't even gotten to do all the things we planned to do. So would it be ok if we steal him away from you for the week? Or you know what? You can get him when you come back for the wedding. That way you two don't have to waste all the mileage and time."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Look, your gonna have him for the rest of your life. Give us at least these last two weeks. Plus, he needs to catch up with old friends, right Nathan?"  
  
Nathan shrank down a little. He could just say that he had business in LA, but Peyton and Lucas would have just been able to read right through him. And they would have killed him the next time they saw him. Plus, he needed to get away from Adrian for a while. He loved her, sure, but it didn't mean that he actually liked spending that much time with her. He would rather spend that time thinking about Haley and hoping to see a glimpse of her. So he just gave Adrian a small peck on her cheek, forcing himself to smile.  
  
"I need to spend some time with my friends. I'm sorry, but I will see you in a week right?"  
  
Adrian seemed to be contemplating with the idea for a while and smiled right back at him.  
  
"Love you Nat! Well I got to run, so see you guy later!"  
  
Adrian left and Lucas looked straight into Nathan's eyes.  
  
"I'll let you off this time, but only because I will see you all week."  
  
Nathan started to straighten out and got up.  
  
"It was great to see you guys but I have to bail."  
  
As he left, he heard Lucas say something else to him. It was yet another thing that wasn't there to hurt him, but it did anyways.  
  
"Fix things with Haley."  
  
Nathan walked out of that restaurant feeling lower than pond scum. He had not only had he pissed the hell out of two of his closest friends, but he hurt the one person in the world that meant everything to him. He had hurt Haley, and as much as he hated to admit it, she had him wrapped around her fingers. If she had asked him to quit basketball and become a garbage man he would have done it. Anything to make her happy, make her his. Thinking about her smile, her voice, her scent. Everything about her, the essence that made her Haley drove him completely crazy. He loved her, and would do just about anything for her.  
  
Then why did he ever propose to Adrian? Why did he not break the engagement when he found out about Haley's return? He kept telling himself it was paparazzi. But that was bullshit. He knew that if Haley really loved him, she wouldn't care. And he knew he loved her enough to take all the bullshit they would throw at him. But the real reason went deeper. He was afraid that when she returned, she would no longer love him, and he couldn't take that. He always thought that he would take any chances for Haley. But that was a lie. He wasn't willing to put his heart on the line again. That would drive him over the edge. And only Haley could drive him over.  
  
But now, it was different. Now, he knew feelings hadn't changed. He knew that she was still the loving, caring person she always was. She was still the love of his life, and he would have it no different. He never wanted anyone else but her. And if she had asked him to ditch Adrian, and to marry her, he would have done it in a second. But she never would. She was always thinking about others than herself. That's what drew him to her in the first place.  
  
He drove to his parent's house. Deb and Dan finally divorced after Dan drove Nathan over the edge, which concluded with Nathan overdosing on steroids. After that, Dan and Nathan barely spoke to each other, but Lucas's family and his grew closer. Deb was gone for the weekend, helping Karen with something at the café. After Karen returned from Italy, Deb stuck around and since then, it had become her second home. And although it was only fifteen minutes away from the house, there was something about 'women bonding'.  
  
He walked up the empty house, into his dark room. His house never seemed this dark and gloomy before. But now that he had lost all hope for her, everything in his life seemed empty. So after a good ten minutes, he was out again. He decided to venture to the docks, where he had his first meaningful conversation with Haley. He reached the end of it and sat, contemplating about everything in his life; from the first time he met Haley, to their first kiss, to their last. He looked out into the ocean and felt nothing. Not the cold wind, or the water splashing on his face. He felt numb of loneliness. Numb of fear.  
  
Nathan never feared anything in his life. Not until now. He never felt the need to fear. Fear was only for those who were weak, and Nathan Scott was not weak. At least, that's what he wanted everyone else to believe. But he was weak, especially when it came to Haley. He got up and walked to the empty beach house. If an outsider was looking into his life, and didn't know about Haley, they would think him to be the happiest man in the world. The star of one of the top basketball teams in America, a supermodel fiancé, and fame that couldn't compare. He was just that big.  
  
He wasn't happy. He couldn't be. Since when did he become such a sap? He fell asleep, with no direction in life. All seemed to be lost.  
  
*~*~*  
  
She sat in her room, looking up at the stars, with streams of tears trailing down her neck. She never thought life to be cruel. She always thought life was somewhat fair, and was only did the things it did because it needed to. But these cruel fates made her rethink her philosophy about life. Because it didn't seem fair that her love would be ripped away from her so fast. He wasn't supposed to be married. He was supposed to be waiting for her, supposed to be hers forever, not some supermodels.  
  
She wanted to just tell him to not marry Adrian, to marry her. But she could never do that to someone. Her conscience would kill her if she ever did that. But it didn't mean she didn't still want Nathan. She just wanted to have him without any of this mess. Of course, this simple little package was non-existent in their universe.  
  
She looked down on her wrist, which had on it the two bracelets he had given her. Was she being pathetic? Yes. Did she care? No. She sighed as she pulled herself to bed and fell asleep, for she also had no direction in life. Everything in her life was falling apart. 


	4. The Doves

A/n- I am so sorry for making you all wait, but I had this huge writers block so yeah. I'm sorry if it isn't that good. Also, I tried to make it less repetitive, but it still might be.  
  
A week had passed and both tried to avoid each other as much as possible. If they ever bumped into one another, they just brushed it off, acting as though there was nothing going on between them. But everything was going on between them. The wedding was fast approaching and Nathan hadn't done anything to stop it. They were going to wed just in Tree Hill. Contrary to much belief, Tree Hill wasn't a small town. More like a small city. Not everyone knew one another. They just coexisted with one another. And it was very surprising to know, but not many people knew Nathan even lived in Tree Hill. Everyone thought that he and his family have always lived in Los Angeles, even though Deb had never wanted to move there.  
  
The preparation for the wedding was going well. Besides the fact that the groom had been depressed for months. But besides that, everything seemed to be in place.  
  
Lucas had tried hard to push them together so they can solve their problems. Both denied that they were unhappy and look separate ways. Haley left three days before the wedding. Adrian came the same day Haley had left. Just like in Nathan's life. The last touches were to be done for the wedding. Lucas was his best man.  
  
The scenery was beautiful. What else was expected out of a five hundred grand wedding? But Nathan didn't really care about the money. He made more than he could deal with truthfully. All he wanted was that he would wake up from this nightmare. Or even better, that he was marrying Haley. He hadn't seen Adrian for three days. He told her some bullshit that it was custom in his family not to see the wife three days prior. And she took the bait.  
  
He passed by a huge cage full of doves. She wanted for the doves to be freed after their marriage. She was getting her vision of a white marriage, one that she said she has dreamt of since she was four. And while walking around, he couldn't help but think about Haley. He knew it was wrong for him to think about someone other than his soon-to-be-wife three hours before the wedding. But he couldn't help it.  
  
A man hurried over to him, saying that there was a package waiting for him. Nathan told him to just put it on the gift table with the rest. But the man said it said on the letter urgent and that it was only to him, not the happy couple. So he went to pick up the package and nearly dropped to his knees. The sender didn't write his/her name on the envelope, but he knew. Her writing was still distinctive to him.  
  
He opened it and out slipped out two bracelets and a simple note. "The past is unchangeable. But the future is a choice. And I chose to love you enough to let you go." She didn't even sign it under her name. He would have known. The cheap plastic bracelet and the white gold one he had made especially for her. And he couldn't help but let a small trail of tears fall out of his eyes. She was always the stronger one, the one that held out. He was never as strong as she was. And it was a day like this he wished he were.  
  
He heard people calling out his name. The wedding was going taking place.  
  
*~*~*  
  
So far, to her knowledge, LA had not changed in the five years she was gone. It was a big city. Not like Tree Hill. Tree Hill seemed to change every day. But LA stayed the same, as though she was never gone. And that was feeling she hoped to get. She didn't have to go to work for another month. They were giving her a lot of time off. But she couldn't stay at Tree Hill during the wedding. It was one thing admitting he was gone. But to actually see it happen would have killed her.  
  
She had mailed her bracelets to him express mail so he would get it on that very day. It was a selfish thing to do, and in many ways, it was cruel. But she wanted him to know that she was letting him go, and if he left, she wouldn't hate him. Truthfully, she had moved to work at the LA Times for one reason. Nathan. He was still shooting for the Lakers, and she wanted to be close to him. She contemplated on either the New York Times and of course, the LA Times had a greater advantage.  
  
She didn't have to leave Europe. She loved working there. It had a great atmosphere, and her boss gave her the most interesting topics to cover. Europe was less glamorizing than America. But she chose to leave, for friend, family, and love.  
  
Now she saw how stupid she was to leave. She should have never left, never have had to find any of this out. She should have gotten over Nathan and gone with one of the bachelors in Europe. She had been offered many relationships. She just didn't want them. So there she sat in a cozy apartment near the LA Times headquarters. She had nothing to do. So she turned her cell phone on silent and fell asleep in her empty apartment.  
  
She woke up around six, finding her stomach to grumbling. She got up and picked up the phone, ordering a pizza with extra cheese, mushroom and sausage. As she waited, she got bored and thought of cleaning up. But as she looked around the room, she saw unopened boxes and clothing scattered all over the floor. She didn't feel like cleaning so instead, she looked for the remote. The TV she had been hard to control manually, so as she searched, the doorbell rang. She paid for her pizza and as she opened the box to grab a slice out, she nearly tripped over a small object, dropping the pizza, which was luckily still in the box. She found the controller. She grabbed a bottle of coke and grabbed the pizza as she turned on the TV.  
  
'. wedding was ruined. Even a successful man like Nathan Scott couldn't have stopped that.'  
  
*~*~*  
  
(Earlier in Tree Hill)  
  
Right as the wedding march was playing and Adrian was down the aisle, a flock of doves came flying into the huge tent. People started to get hysterical and as they pushed and shoved to get away. Adrian let out a shriek of surprise, and she tried to calm everyone down, but nothing seemed to be working. Finally, she was pushed along with the rest of the crowd. Nathan stayed behind to watch the doves make a mess of the place. It only took three minutes for them to create such a disaster.  
  
A smile crept onto his face. It was like God was feeling sorry for him finally. Maybe even he didn't want this to happen. No, Nathan did no tamper with the doves. But he did wish and pray all day for something, anything to happen that would kill the wedding mood, which would mean the wedding would be off. And for the first time since he got with Haley, his prayers were answered. So someone up there really did care.  
  
He soon caught up with Adrian. Adrian was a holy person, born in a family where her brother had just become a priest and her aunt a nun. He told her that if the wedding was really was to happen, it would have and this would have never happened. And after trying to break it off without making it too obvious, it happened. But right before she would go up with him to publicize the ending of the engagement/wedding, she turned to him with a pained yet understanding look on her face.  
  
"I'm not stupid you know. I asked around about you and got the entire Haley thing. Do me a favor and don't screw up."  
  
She gave him a soft kiss on his forehead. And smiled. He asked if she hated him and she shook her head.  
  
"No, but I will like to thank you for the happiness you gave me."  
  
He knew it all along. She was one of the most perfect people in the world. Sweet, beautiful, understanding. She just wasn't for him. They announced their break up to the public, shocking everyone except Lucas and Peyton. The reception was still held, but the ex-groom was long gone.  
  
*~*~*  
  
Haley stood shocked at the TV. Was Nathan's wedding really ruined? She tried to flip through all the channels. But all of them seemed to have moved on to another topic. She would have to wait another full hour to find out the details. It took her a full minute to even think of where it was taken place.  
  
Lucas.  
  
She ran to her cell phone, tripping on box, landing right onto the couch, where her phone was. Far from graceful. She saw that there was 33 missed calls, 15 voice messages. Of course! How stupid could she be? Her cell phone was left on silent. For such a smart girl, she could be a complete idiot.  
  
She saw the majority came from Lucas, and a few were unknown. Though desperate to call Lucas, she felt this irritating voice telling her to first check her voice messages. The first 14 were Lucas, yelling into the phone, asking her where the hell she was and asking her why she wasn't picking up.  
  
The last was Nathan. His was exactly one word.  
  
"Naley."  
  
Her heart stopped as she nearly dropped the phone. She snapped back into reality just as her phone lit up. She looked and saw it was Lucas.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Where the hell were you Haley?!"  
  
"My phone was on silent. I just saw on the news about Nathan's wedding being a disaster. What happened?"  
  
"Didn't you hear about the doves?"  
  
"Doves?"  
  
"A flock of doves somehow got free and attacked before the wedding began. Then after, they decided not to get married. And Nathan isn't even here. We were looking for him but he's gone. I think he's going to LA Haley." 


	5. The End

Haley dropped the phone at that instant. He was coming here. He was coming for her. And there was nothing in the world that was stopping him now. She knew it since the day she met him. He always got what he wanted, and for a long time, he wanted her. What she didn't know was how MUCH he wanted her. She hear Lucas yell into the phone, and heard that muffled voice, which brought her back to reality.  
  
"Hey, sorry Luke."  
  
"Look Haley, I don't know what the hell you are planning to do or what the hell he's planning to do. Just promise me you guys will do it right this time. I'm getting sick of waiting for you guys."  
  
"Oh yeah, because we must listen and obey everything that came out of your mouth right?"  
  
"Because you know I'm always right."  
  
There was a beep going off on her phone, and it came on as an unknown number.  
  
"Hey Luke, I'll call you right back. Someone is on the other end."  
  
She hung up only to hear a desperate voice come from the other end. It was muffled and hard to hear, but to her trained ear, it was something so distinctive. She knew it was he even before she picked up. Who else would call her except him? She wanted to talk to him, meet him, and hold him again. But it might have been too soon. She still loved him, yes. She wanted him, yes. But there was a nagging feeling that she might have been jumping into this soon. But as soon as she heard his voice on the phone, all fears were wiped clear from her mind. She no longer thought. She only desperately listened for him.  
  
"Haley?"  
  
"Hey Nat."  
  
Both of their hearts simultaneously stopped. Both of them paused without thinking for a long time. They missed each other, without a doubt. It didn't matter that they had seen each other a few days ago. They missed being together, like Naley together.  
  
"I miss you Haley."  
  
"Yeah I miss you too."  
  
"You know I love you right?"  
  
"I know."  
  
She still loved him. She wished some days she didn't, but she did. He lightly laughed into the phone.  
  
"Your supposed to say it back you know."  
  
"Nat, you know I still do."  
  
And that was the only confirmation he needed.  
  
"I need to see you."  
  
"I want to see you too."  
  
"Then open the door."  
  
She froze for a moment. He was there? There was a knock on the door and she knew. She dropped her phone again. It was a great wonder in how it didn't break by now. She crept to the door to find him standing there, with the dress pant he had for the wedding still on. He did change his shirt on the plane though. She stood there for about a second before flinging her arms around him neck. He pulled her closer to him as they stood in and embrace trapped again in their little world.  
  
She snapped back into reality, finding that she was standing in the middle of a hallway in LA, where this man was worshipped. She dragged him into her apartment and shut her door to the world. He reclaimed his position, keeping her close.  
  
"A little feisty aren't we now?"  
  
She slightly blushed before finding her ground again.  
  
"Has someone forgotten that he is in the middle of a large city, in which people who occupy it worships him?"  
  
He looked deep into her eyes and brought his lips close to hers. He only talked in whisper.  
  
"Aww, and I thought you just missed me."  
  
"I did."  
  
He brought hi lips down to hers, sharing yet another breathtaking kiss. He didn't even want to come out for air. Neither of them did. They were apart for too long. But they had to, breaking their lips apart, but only by a few inches. She looked up at him and saw little about him had changed. He still had this look about him that reminded her of a little boy. The only things that changed about him were he had matured a little, and his complexion was tanned from moving to LA. But she loved him and he loved her, and that was something that would never seem to change.  
  
"What about Adrian?"  
  
She didn't want to hear it, more along the lines of something she had to hear. And to her extreme surprise, he smiled and looked directly at her while saying it.  
  
"She couldn't have been better about it. Believe it or not, she told me to not mess it up with you."  
  
"How would she know?"  
  
"She wasn't totally oblivious everything after all. She asked around about us."  
  
"Funny and kind of ironic. That's what we do best. And that exactly what Lucas told me to do right before you called me. Which reminds me. How did you find my address? Even Lucas doesn't know it."  
  
"Has someone forgotten who I was? The world is at my call and beckon. I can get whatever I want with a simple phone call."  
  
And he caressed her check with his thumb, bringing her closer to him; to make sure this wasn't an allusion. He had to be sure that she was Haley, and not just a figment of his imagination. He had waited for so long to know she was his again. Only a week ago, she was that one unattainable person in his life. But now that she was no longer unattainable and in his grasp. He wasn't sure how he would be able to move on from that point without her.  
  
"So where do we get from here?"  
  
She was looking forward to seeing him again also. She left Europe thinking a moment like this would occur right after landing. But it didn't, being delayed for a few weeks. He kissed her softly on her lips, along her jaw line, and left a trail down her neck. He then looked up to her and kissed her with full force. Exploring each other's mouth, it felt like a lifetime ago since they were able to do anything even close to this. They broke once more, and Nathan smiled down at her. He pulled out two objects in his pocket. The two bracelets he had with him at that time.  
  
"Promise me you will never take these off again."  
  
She giggled a little before kissing his nose.  
  
"You know it Nat."  
  
"Naley it is."  
  
At that moment, their futures collided. Neither thought rationally. Neither was concerned about the future, or what scandals would erupt from this couple. Neither cared. All that mattered was that moment, that feeling of belonging to one another. This event would change everything about them, but it didn't matter. As long as they were Naley.  
  
*~*~*  
  
A/N: HUGE writers block but I tried very hard to break out of it. Attempted. Anyhow, this is the end of Naley. I think I might write a follow up story just to say what happens after this, but I think this ending is fine for right now. Hope you enjoyed it and I hope it was worth the wait. 


End file.
